Poisonous snakes - A pet peeve of mine.

There's no such thing as a poisonous snake. Most of you herpers here know this.

Tired of hearing of "poisonous snakes" on the news, animal planet, from uneducated people etc etc. Same thing with spiders, I know of no poisonous spiders (and scorpions!)

Although it hurts my ears to hear people call them poisonous as much as it hurts to hear This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbTsebLs7yU

I continually educate the uneducated...

Poison...is INJESTED, like rat poison....they eat it...and they die.
Venom, as in VENOMOUS, is injected, like doctors give you shots with a needle, venomous creatures use their fangs to deliver their payload.


/rant off


Had to rant because in the 5 seconds i heard from some program on animal planet, they were talking about how DANGEROUS this POISONOUS copperhead snake is. :rolleyes:

Animal planet makes me sad. So sad. I used to love that channel...
Since Irwin passed, it's been rapidly turning into crap. "Surprisingly Human"...Surprisingly stupid. Sounds about right. /sigh

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

There's no such thing as a poisonous snake. Most of you herpers here know this.

Tired of hearing of "poisonous snakes" on the news, animal planet, from uneducated people etc etc. Same thing with spiders, I know of no poisonous spiders (and scorpions!)

Although it hurts my ears to hear people call them poisonous as much as it hurts to hear This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbTsebLs7yU

I continually educate the uneducated...

Poison...is INJESTED, like rat poison....they eat it...and they die.
Venom, as in VENOMOUS, is injected, like doctors give you shots with a needle, venomous creatures use their fangs to deliver their payload.


/rant off


Had to rant because in the 5 seconds i heard from some program on animal planet, they were talking about how DANGEROUS this POISONOUS copperhead snake is. :rolleyes:

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I clicked that video thinking it would be an animal planet clip. Then I nearly puked lol

There are words we misuse within the hobby. Can't expect people outside of the hobby to get it right when we can't.

Actually.... Gonna wait for Skip to say few more details but......

If my memory is not clouded to much i believe there is couple poisonous snakes in reptile world. :P:P:P
They flesh is poisonous from accumulating secretions from frogs and toad with are they main prey.

With species exactly?? Kill me I don't remember... for sure Skiploder will remind us they names...

Butt going back to topic.. Yep... it getting annoying when You hear poisonous snake everywhere around...

To this point that when You actually hear venomous.... is like... O.o Really they said it right this time O.o :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Forgive my ignorance. I'm a snake rookie. But I have a thought and a question.
1. This seems to be a snooty, exclusionary objection to those who may not be as informed as you. It is very petty. People use two words interchangeably because for all intents and purposes, they mean the same thing. Should a person come in contact with poison or venom, they could be in serious danger.

2. Since snake venom, in many cases, is poisonous to humans, then snakes are poisonous, right? Consider a spitting cobra. If it spits on your mouth And you swallow it, you die.

Like I said, I think you're just looking for something to be annoyed by.

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Originally Posted by chet1028

Forgive my ignorance. I'm a snake rookie. But I have a thought and a question.
1. This seems to be a snooty, exclusionary objection to those who may not be as informed as you. It is very petty. People use two words interchangeably because for all intents and purposes, they mean the same thing. Should a person come in contact with poison or venom, they could be in serious danger.

2. Since snake venom, in many cases, is poisonous to humans, then snakes are poisonous, right? Consider a spitting cobra. If it spits on your mouth And you swallow it, you die.

Like I said, I think you're just looking for something to be annoyed by.

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I agree with your point but they are not the same thing. If you drank venom, nothing would happen. Same if you injected poison. Venom attacks the nervous system through the circulatory system, usually breaking down blood cells and such. When poison is ingested it attacks the body usually through the organs. I feel the need to argue the point because as well as being in to reptiles I am also an English teacher. Snake venom is venomous to humans. It is not poisonous to us. People do use certain words interchangeably sometimes but it doesn't mean it is correct and tends to drives me nuts as well.

Don't worry, I understand your pain.

It's like when you guys use the term "co-dominant".

I almost clicked the video, then I realized what it was. Thank god I dodged that bullet. Calling venom poison is one of my pet peeves too. It almost bothers me as much as the middle of the toothpaste tube being squeezed. But I doubt most people will ever change what they call it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chet1028

Forgive my ignorance. I'm a snake rookie. But I have a thought and a question.
1. This seems to be a snooty, exclusionary objection to those who may not be as informed as you. It is very petty. People use two words interchangeably because for all intents and purposes, they mean the same thing. Should a person come in contact with poison or venom, they could be in serious danger.

2. Since snake venom, in many cases, is poisonous to humans, then snakes are poisonous, right? Consider a spitting cobra. If it spits on your mouth And you swallow it, you die.

Like I said, I think you're just looking for something to be annoyed by.

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From Wikipedia:

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In the context of biology, poisons are substances that cause disturbances to organisms,[1] usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. The fields of medicine (particularly veterinary) and zoology often distinguish a poison from a toxin, and from a venom. Toxins are poisons produced by some biological function in nature, and venoms are usually defined as toxins that are injected by a bite or sting to cause their effect, while other poisons are generally defined as substances absorbed through epithelial linings such as the skin or gut.

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Some venoms can be poisonous. Other are not. Both venoms and poisons are toxic (and, inherently, toxins). As a scientist, I care about proper terminology, particularly my own, and reprimand myself when I get it wrong all the time. We all make mistakes.

However, I find it to be a great sin to ignore proper terminology and continue to use phrases and terms incorrectly (particularly when talking about science!) when presented with the correct usage. Purposeful ignorance is not to be tolerated.

One of my pet peeves is whining...

I'll spare everyone the pain of a thread about it though. :D

How I feel when I correct someone (on snakes especially) and they actually listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pele5vptVgc


It's one thing if they just don't know correct terminology. It's another thing if you/someone else corrects them and then they just keep doing it...

When I'm asked if my snakes are poisonous, I just reply "Don't know, I've never eaten one of them."

Well if you ate a rattlesnake and it bit the inside of your stomach you would die. There. Bam! Poisonous.

Lol nah it annoys me too. Its on about the same level for me as ppl using the wrong "too/ to," minor annoyance.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

There are poisonous snakes...

"The two exceptions are: the Rhabdophis keelback snakes secrete poison from glands they get from the poisonous toads they consume, and similarly, certain garter snakes from Oregon retain toxins in their livers from the newts they eat.[12]

But I must say, that it does bother me that so many people call venomous snakes like vipers, poisonous..

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Originally Posted by Coleslaw007

Well if you ate a rattlesnake and it bit the inside of your stomach you would die. There. Bam! Poisonous.

Lol nah it annoys me too. Its on about the same level for me as ppl using the wrong "too/ to," minor annoyance.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

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Nope, still venomous, as the poison was injected into your system :P

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

Nope, still venomous, as the poison was injected into your system:P

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Ekhem
Shouldn't sentence be something like: Nope, still venomous, as the venom was injected into your system:P ???

Just sayin....
Wanna correct somebody and rant about it... GIVE EXAMPLE first... :gj:

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

Nope, still venomous, as the poison was injected into your system :P

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My point exactly, it happened in your stomach so it's clearly poison :D glad you agree. Lol

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

Ah hah, you caught me trollin' :P

Coulda sworn I had put quotations around poison

"poison"

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Originally Posted by mikeandsheleen

When I'm asked if my snakes are poisonous, I just reply "Don't know, I've never eaten one of them."

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LMAO! hilarious! that's how my brain works

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

There's no such thing as a poisonous snake. Most of you herpers here know this.

Tired of hearing of "poisonous snakes" on the news, animal planet, from uneducated people etc etc. Same thing with spiders, I know of no poisonous spiders (and scorpions!)

Although it hurts my ears to hear people call them poisonous as much as it hurts to hear This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbTsebLs7yU

I continually educate the uneducated...

Poison...is INJESTED, like rat poison....they eat it...and they die.
Venom, as in VENOMOUS, is injected, like doctors give you shots with a needle, venomous creatures use their fangs to deliver their payload.


/rant off


Had to rant because in the 5 seconds i heard from some program on animal planet, they were talking about how DANGEROUS this POISONOUS copperhead snake is. :rolleyes:

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A pet peeve of mine is people who claim there are no poisonous snakes, when there are.

As Monica has stated, the tiger keel back secretes poison from it's nuchal glands and the little inoffensive ringneck can excrete poison from it's cloaca that's capable of bringing down any large dog that eats it.

While people do misuse the word poisonous when referring to venomous snakes, making the claim that there are no poisonous snakes is - well, to use your own words - uneducated.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/11/y5e2ejy5.jpg

I doubt anyone at this park will be eating any snakes anytime soon.

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Originally Posted by ChrisS

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/11/y5e2ejy5.jpg

I doubt anyone at this park will be eating any snakes anytime soon.

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This sign is hillarious...it's like "not only are we warning you of snakes that could be dangerous to your health if you eat them...but hey, theres bugs and plants out there too! So watch out!"

Are they likening snakes being as dangerous as plants and bugs? Sure there are some nasties out there like scorpions and spiders....but plants? You talking about Poison Ivy? or just that big tree over there ready to drop a branch on your head?

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

This sign is hillarious...it's like "not only are we warning you of snakes that could be dangerous to your health if you eat them...but hey, theres bugs and plants out there too! So watch out!"

Are they likening snakes being as dangerous as plants and bugs? Sure there are some nasties out there like scorpions and spiders....but plants? You talking about Poison Ivy? or just that big tree over there ready to drop a branch on your head?

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No these trees come to life up root themselves and chase you. They are as dangerous as any "poisonous" snake I've encountered. Oh and don't forget the bees/wasps in the bug category. Those are actually bad at this park, no joke.

Just out of curiosity...if someone were to ingest snake venom, wouldn't it still be absorbed by the villi and microvilli in the small intestine and thus make it into the bloodstream? And in that case, would it then be considered poison or venom? Just a thought...:P

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Originally Posted by rasslinrinyu

I agree with your point but they are not the same thing. If you drank venom, nothing would happen. Same if you injected poison. Venom attacks the nervous system through the circulatory system, usually breaking down blood cells and such. When poison is ingested it attacks the body usually through the organs. I feel the need to argue the point because as well as being in to reptiles I am also an English teacher. Snake venom is venomous to humans. It is not poisonous to us. People do use certain words interchangeably sometimes but it doesn't mean it is correct and tends to drives me nuts as well.

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This was what prompted the question. :)

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Originally Posted by WarriorPrincess90

Just out of curiosity...if someone were to ingest snake venom, wouldn't it still be absorbed by the villi and microvilli in the small intestine and thus make it into the bloodstream? And in that case, would it then be considered poison or venom? Just a thought...:P

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This was what prompted the question. :)

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No, it would be digested. The composition of a venom would be such that it could not viably survive the digestive processes. It would be broken down into harmless components by the time it was introduced in to the bloodstream. The only danger ingesting venom would be if someone had an open sore in the mouth/ throat or perhaps had an ulcer in the stomach which would mean yet again, however, that the venom would be directly entering the bloodstream. :partyon:

On one of the TV shows, I don't remember the name but it's the one with the Miami Fire Dept Venom One guys, the one they call Big Country caught an eastern diamondback and had some venom on his hand. He proceeded to lick it off his hand and explained to the man standing there with him and the camera that it was not poison but venom and then explained the difference between the two. He also said that you shouldn't do what he just did as he was only doing it to better explain the difference between the two. I thought he did pretty good explaining the difference which is unusual for a TV show. This show seems to be better than most of the other shows about snakes and lizards as most of them don't seem to really know what they are talking about.